During the 18th century when the European Kings onsolidated their power, the knights had to cultivate manners so as not to offend their masters.
The manners of the court came to be called 'courtly' manners or what we refer to as "courtesy" today. Etiquette guidelines were developed to govern how people should behave in the King's court. Sociologists believe these guidelines transformed the disrespectful, selfish and cruel mind sets and actions of the people at that time.
This gave birth to a society that had a culture of dignity, respect and tolerance. The rules included common manners such as; do not urinate in the hallway, do not use the table cloth to blow your nose, mind your choice of words among other rules.
The penalty for these infractions was believed to be internal - 'a sense of shame'. Just to see how important manners were in the liberation of the world, the King of Scotland, King David 1 proposed a bill that offered a tax rebate to citizens that practised and mustered the art of eating and dining properly.
A brilliant proposal, but just like other good ideas, this one never caught on. The same is happening in our homes. Parents and guardians hardly invest their time to groom their children. Well if they do, then the custom is not being passed on to future generations.
Every community adheres to different set of manners although a lot of them are common across cultures. It is imperative that we appreciate one another and tolerate our diverse cultures and beliefs, so as to coexist and make the world a better place. Today, we celebrate the social progress gradually taking place in Africa and the world at large.
To me, all this is a result of the evolution of etiquette. It is impossible to talk about political and economic development when the people are cruel, intolerant, selfish, disrespectful and undisciplined.
I developed the passion and love for etiquette early in life when I used to help my sisters set the table for dinner in the evening. My family initiated me - they groomed and saved me - they taught me the science of living .
